Recent events have partially confirmed a suspicion that I was having, that many of us are so far removed from Vedic ideals that we confuse modern principles with traditional principles when it comes to cow protection. This is especially true when it comes to the Dairy Industry. In the first instance we see the word “Dairy”, which is impersonal as it only refers to the by-products; this is the first disconnect. The second word is defined in similar fashion.
dair·y (dâr)
n. pl. dair·ies
1. A commercial establishment for processing or selling milk and milk products.
2. A place where milk and cream are stored and processed.
3. A dairy farm.
4. The dairy business; dairying.
adj.
1. Of, for, or relating to milk or milk products: the dairy section at the grocery store.
2. Of or relating to dairying.
industry – noun – economic activity concerned with the processing of raw materials and manufacture of goods in factories.
Put together they both mean exploitation, and it is true. There are many emerging movements against factory farming an example below;
http://www.factoryfarmmap.org/problems/
Humans have been exploiting each other for so long now that for them to begin to think of animal welfare beyond cats and dogs is difficult. From my own personal experience in Gujarat upon finding an injured calf on the side of the road and failing to get any response from the nearby veterinarian ambulance who said they only deal with dogs and cats, nor could I find any place for the care and protection for this dying calf. Now recently I received shocking information that cow slaughter is being promoted at cow protection seminars, confirmed by the following horrific statement in the excerpt below;
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at the first session of the worship entitled “Critical review of Genetic Enhancement and Conservation programs in India”, the Chairman of the
session, Prof. Suresh Gokhale, while commenting on what the various
speakers remarked during the session, said: “at Brazil 42% of the
milking cows are “cut”. We in India have not learned to “cut” the
animals, and therefore we are not able to progress in improving both
the various breeds and milk production”.
A link with full details regarding the above statement can be found here. http://docdroid.net/hmgs
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Now some may say what has that got to do with Mayapur Goshala? Many will be shocked to see that the concrete structures closely resemble dairy industry factory farming. One obvious fact is that all “ Dairy Industry” (there it is again) veterinarian doctors or officers are trained up to maximize milk production and medicines are geared up to the same end. Cow protection will only start when the eyes move away from the udder and look at the entire cow, bull and calf. Grandfather Bhishma has said:
”They who sell the Vedas, they who find fault with the Vedas, and they who reduce the Vedas into writing, have all to sink in hell. 1 They who are out of the pale of the four well-known modes of life, they who betake themselves to practices interdicted by the Srutis and the scriptures, and they who live by betaking themselves to acts that are wicked or sinful or that do not belong to their order of birth, have to sink in hell. They who live by selling hair, they who subsist by selling poisons, and they who live by selling milk, have to sink in hell. They who put obstacles in the path of Brahmanas and kine and maidens, O Yudhishthira, have to sink in hell. They who sell weapons, they who forge weapons, they who make shafts, and they who make bows, have to sink in hell. ‘They who obstruct paths and roads with stones and thorns and holes have to sink in hell. They who abandon and cast off preceptors and servants and loyal followers without any offence, O chief of Bharata’s race, have to sink in hell. They who set bullocks to work before the animals attain to sufficient age, they who bore the noses of bullocks and other animals for controlling them the better while employed in work, and they who keep animals always tethered, have to sink in hell. ”
I used to wonder why this was said by Bhishmadev to Maharaja Yudhishthira, as I heard this many years ago “they who live by selling milk, have to sink in hell.” Now I do not wonder anymore.
From Vaiyasaski Dasa’s VP offering to Srila Prabhupada, 2014
The Vedas have defined milk as coming from protected cows that are loved as family members. They roam the pastures grazing on fresh grasses to their heart’s content. They are lovingly milked by hand and
in reciprocation, give their milk with love. Such milk is the only food that
is given out of love. The rishis of yore would always come to a grhastha
home to get a cup of this milk which nourishes the finer tissues of the
brain.
Factory farming in the 21st Century is so unhealthy that the cows are
continually sick. They do not eat grass, but are fed genetically modified
corn and soy laced with antibiotics to kill the toxic organisms as a result
of their diet, bovine growth hormones so they will mature rapidly, and other
products that can cause mad cow disease.
In order to give milk, cows must bear a calf. As soon as a calf is born, the
cows are immediately artificially impregnated the same day and their calves
are taken from them. Male calves are put in tiny crates to become veal and
their stomach lining is used as rennet to make cheese. The cows cry in agony
when their calves are forcibly taken away. They live in concentration camps
chained to the feeding tough where they can’t even turn their head.
The life expectancy of such exploited and tortured cows is 3-5
years after which they are sent to be slaughtered. The normal
life expectancy of cows and bulls are 18-20 years. The milk is
subsidized by the sale of animals to the abattoirs, to keep costs down and
milk prices low.
Study after study has shown that this liquid masquerading as
milk causes all kinds of disease. When genuine cow milk is taken
instead, the body responds favorably and disease vanishes.
Clearly, the white liquid extracted by machine from cows and laced with
harmful chemicals is not milk according to the Vedic version. Shockingly,
today India exports more beef than any other country in the world, even
surpassing Brazil, Australia, and the USA. Sadly, almost all of these cows
were retired dairy animals.
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“Without protection of cows, brahminical culture cannot be maintained; and without brahminical culture, the aim of life cannot be fulfilled.” – Srila Prabhupad SB 8.24.5 puport